In response to the potential online risks faced by underage users, MetaUpgrade againThe update focuses on Instagram accounts managed by adults (such as parents or guardians) for children. Meta will automatically apply stricter message and comment controls to these accounts to prevent unscrupulous users from making sexual advances, requesting nude photos, and other inappropriate behavior through private messages or public comments.
Meta stated that while Instagram currently prohibits users under 13 from registering accounts, it still allows adult-managed accounts for children. These accounts are often used by children of celebrities, child models, rising sports stars, or families of influencers to share daily updates. Meta stated that their use is "overwhelmingly benign." However, in recent years, Meta has discovered that these accounts have become frequent targets of harassment, often through public comments or private messages, with sexual advances and even requests for inappropriate images.
To strengthen the protection of these accounts, Meta announced that it will introduce the following new measures over the coming months:
• Restrict private messaging:For child accounts managed by adults, the strictest message privacy settings will be automatically enabled. This means only those explicitly allowed by the account owner can send messages, reducing the risk of interference from strangers.
• Automatically enable the "Hidden Words" feature:Meta will enable the "Hidden Words" feature by default to help account owners automatically filter comments containing inappropriate language or sensitive words, preventing children's content from being interfered with by malicious language.
• Prevent suspicious accounts from being exposed:The system will avoid recommending these child accounts to suspicious accounts that have been blocked by teenage users, thereby reducing the chances of harassers or unfamiliar adults finding them.
• Reduce search visibility and comment permissions:Meta will also make these accounts less easily discoverable by potentially suspicious users, and will automatically hide messages from potentially risky adult accounts.
• Strengthening account verification and removal mechanisms:Earlier this year, Meta blocked approximately 13.5 Instagram accounts for allegedly sending sexually suggestive messages or requesting inappropriate images to child accounts. An additional 50 Facebook and Instagram accounts were also removed for being associated with these activities.
These new measures mainly continue Meta's recentPolicy promotion for youth safetyIn 2024, Meta began to launch a privacy protection feature for Instagram that was automatically enabled for youth accounts, including stricter private message permission management and exposure restrictions. In April of this year, these protection mechanisms were further expanded.Expanding to Facebook and Messenger platforms, and start testingAI age recognition technology, using artificial intelligence to determine whether the user’s age is fake, to prevent adult users from disguising themselves as teenagers and contacting minors.
Meta also continues to release new tools to protect against sexual exploitation. For example, the "Location Notice" feature, launched in June of this year, alerts teenagers to the country of origin of their foreign users when they initiate a conversation, helping to identify potential fake accounts or scams. According to observations by law enforcement agencies in various countries, online sextortion cases have increased significantly. Criminals often use disguised or impersonating others to establish contact with teenagers and then threaten them to take nude photos.
To this end, Meta has also introduced "nudity protection" technology for private messages. If the system detects nudity in a message, it will automatically blur it and warn the user to prevent the other party from being tricked into reciprocating nudity. New features also include a "Safety Tips" portal. Teenagers can easily tap the "Safety Tips" icon in the private message screen to quickly view options such as blocking, reporting, and limiting interactions. A new "Block and Report" button has also been added, allowing users to complete two actions with one click.
Meta stated that these updates are driven by continuous listening to community, expert, and parent feedback, and that they will continue to roll out safer, more transparent, and easier-to-use control tools for children and adolescents. With the rise of short videos and youth creators, striking a balance between creation and sharing will become an ongoing challenge and responsibility for social platforms.
